‘Will Destroy Any Structure Diverting Our Water’: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Rattles Sabre Over Indus Treaty After Pahalgam Attack

Islamabad: In yet another incendiary statement, Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday threatened to destroy any structure India might build to divert water from the Indus basin, warning that any such move would be treated as an act of “aggression.”

His remarks come in the wake of India’s decision to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that left 26 people dead. The treaty, signed in 1960, has so far ensured water supply for nearly 80% of Pakistan’s agricultural land.

In a television interview, Asif escalated tensions further, saying: “That will be aggression against Pakistan… even if they (India) made an architectural attempt of this kind, then Pakistan will destroy that structure.” He also warned that any effort to block Pakistan’s rightful share of water would be considered “a face of aggression.”

Responding strongly to Asif’s remarks, BJP national spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain dismissed the threats as nothing more than political bluster. “Khawaja Asif is visibly shaken. Though he is Pakistan’s Defence Minister, he hardly has any control. He’s merely a ‘statement minister,’ constantly issuing hollow threats. The fear among Pakistanis is evident. They are losing sleep at night,” he told reporters.

The diplomatic standoff intensified after India’s Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil recently stated that India would ensure “not even a drop of water” reaches Pakistan via the Indus system.